Since the invention of the telephone people have sought to supplement face to face meetings with conferences from remote locations. With the advent of the internet and the greater availability of broadband communications, it was often assumed that remote conferencing would be the wave of the future. For example, businesses, groups, family, and friends could communicate with each other as if they were in the same room. Ideas and visions could be shared without the need for cross-continent trips by business people or other types of groups.
The realization of this dream, however, has never fully come to fruition. Important business is often still done face to face. Important decisions are often made only after personal communication. And board meetings are usually held around a conference table rather than a group of video or audio conference rooms.
Many reasons exist for the unfulfilled realization of remote conferencing. For example, even with the advancement of broadband data connections and audiovisual presentation equipment, subtle (and not so subtle) variations in acoustical properties within various remote conference locations can lead to differences in how conference participants are perceived. Voices can sound unnatural and communication can seem awkward. Even small acoustical differences between remote conference rooms can be detected by the conference participants which can make communication seem unnatural, causing feelings of isolation and detachment between various participants.
The acoustical and audio variations between the remote conference locations can reduce synergy at meetings, limit the sharing of concepts and ideas, and disrupt the ambiance that people are accustomed to when meeting face to face. Thus, despite the convenience of remote conferencing, the potentially unnatural communication between the remote locations tends to reduce the use of remote conferencing. This is evidenced by the large percentage of people that still spend valuable time and money traveling to meet and communicate personally.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.